Justine Carmichael

Justine Carmichael

We have all been through patches in our running where we just can’t seem to improve- in fact we may even get slower. This can be particularly true for masters runners. Since joining with Sean Williams for online coaching early in 2016, I have seen a tremendous improvement in my running and results whilst staying injury free and fitting in full time work commitments. I sought the expertise and an individualized running plan from an experienced coach to help her to keep improving her race times.

Having regular contact with Sean and the accountability and flexibility of an online coaching relationship has helped me enjoy the benefits of consistent training and enjoy the process as much as the outcomes.

I overcame my “running plateau” with personal bests in several races.
I started with a PB in the Sydney Half Marathon in May with a time of 1.31.22, This placed me 10th in a very competitive age group. (40-44). Then followed the Perth Marathon in June where I ran 3.16.15. This placed me 9th woman outright and first in my age group. It was a personal best by 2 minutes, so for someone who had found it hard to improve for years, this run was a huge thrill.

I ran a personal best marathon time of 3.15.20 and was 21st woman overall (and 6th in the 40-44 year female category) at the 2016 Sydney Marathon (Blackmores). I had confidence going into the race that Sean’s expertise and training plan would enable me to run a strong race and all I needed to do was run. Sean’s coaching equipped me to stay mentally focussed whilst keeping a consistent pace during my race even through the tough moments and many challenging sections of the course. With less than 10 km to go, Sean’s focus on strength and consistent mileage during my training meant I was able to maintain pace, finish strong and get a 3 minute improvement on previous best time.